1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to airport beacon lights for producing a bright, color coded signal as a visual aid for airplane pilots in locating airports during night flights, etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Airports typically include rotating signal or double head beacon lights which sweep color coded beams of light through a complete revolution as an aid to aerial navigation. Such beacons typically include one or more 1,000 watt incandescent lamps. Such 1,000 watt incandescent lamps have a life expectancy of about 500 hours, which is approximately 42 days based on a 12 hour per day operation. Pennow, U.S. Pat. No. 2,462,222 discloses a beacon light which provides a rotating beacon without exposed rotatable or moving parts. Edgerton, U.S. Pat. No. 2,449,063 discloses an electric system including a plurality of lamps arranged and electrically coupled so as to flash on and off sequentially to produce a beam that appears to rotate but without any moving parts. In addition to the above-referenced patents, a preliminary patentability search directed in classes 315, 340 and 362 disclosed the following patents: Crossley, U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,770; Schmitz, U.S. Pat. No. 2,823,366; and Bleiweiss, U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,366. None of the above patents disclose or suggest the present invention.